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The Implementation of UNCLOS: Supporting Maritime Governance in the Indian Ocean (Part III)

Sri Lanka is a country positioned in the centre of the Indian Ocean (IO) with ambitions to be a pioneer of good governance and guarantor of international and regional cooperation in its surrounding waters. To this end, the Government of Sri Lanka has set an important agenda to advance dialogue in the IO region in order to foster regional cooperation and development through improved implementation of international and regional obligations in the area of the Law of the Sea.

Sri Lanka has demonstrated a committed interest to fostering regional dialogue on pertinent issues relating to the Law of the Sea within South Asia as well as the broader IO region. Sri Lanka is the current Chair on the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS) and has been endorsed by the IORA Council of Ministers as IORA Vice Chair for 2021-2023.

Building on its previous engagement in Sri Lanka, the Foundation will continue to support Sri Lanka by providing technical and legal expertise to relevant stakeholders, including Expert Consultations with Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum, former Managing Director of the Foundation and former Judge and President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The Foundation will support Sri Lanka’s engagement within IORA and the IO region, including by providing legal and technical assistance to workshops organised by Sri Lanka, as chair of the IORA WGMSS, on issues relating to maritime safety and security such as marine scientific research and Port State Control. The Foundation will also provide technical expertise to relevant ministerial bodies and departments within Sri Lanka in order to support efforts by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host and organise a multilateral conference or forum involving States within the IO region as well as other significant global players in the maritime arena.

This objective of the project is to support the efforts to foster a regional dialogue on pertinent issues relating to the Law of the Sea and maritime governance; to advance regional cooperation; and to promote a common understanding and equal implementation of the framework established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea within the IO region.